Means for supporting and adjusting draperies



May 27, 1952 D. R. FALKENBERG MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND ADJUSTINGDRAPERIES Filed June 22, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIIIIIIL FIGA INVENTOR.DouGLAss R. FALKENf-:RG

ATTORNEY May 27, 1952 D. R. FALKENBERG MEANS FOR SUPPORTING ANDADJUSTING DRAPERIES Fil'ed June 22, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet IN V EN TOR.Doue LASS R. FALKEN BERG FIG@ BY l. Y-

) 3 ukTOR/E'Y D. R. FALKENBERG MEANS FOR SUPPORTING ANDADJUSTING'DRAPERIES May 27, 1952 3 sheets-sheet 5 Filed June 22, 1948wc. F

i,FIC-:1,15 56.12 15 y INVENIOR. Donc-.gigas R. FLKENBERG A TOPNEYPatented May 27, 1952 UNITED zenne-Nr soie-FICE S EGR PSUPPORTING ANDADJUSTING .l D-RAPERIES f *'Gl'aims. 11

The invention relates to meansgforsllpprting and adjusting draperies,and `partcula 11ytd1de vices of this character utilizedior' .dependinglysupporting draperies in a verticallypleatedlarrangement, and foradjusting the pleatledl'ff peries to maintain ,the desiredsupp'rtingposition.

The objects of; .the invention arev to provide a supporting 4ntiembervfor,l suchidraperies', to and from whichy thejupper endi'of thedraperymaybe quickly and convenientlyattached `and removed, in which anornamental'pleating oftthejjdepending draperymaybe quickly'e'iected and,Without the necessityofthe hanger beinganexperiencied pleater, and inwhich an adjustmentfoitlle drapery supportingv rod may be quickly.allisonveniently effected for maintainingthej I.proper balance oralignment of "the several fpleatsf the depending drapery.

The claims of the-instantrapplcationjarelimited to the means`or'suppdrting andadjnsting draperies.

The annexed drawings andthe'foll'owing description set forth'` in"detail ,certaimmeansillustrating the Aimprovements in `meansfor;"support` ing and adjusting 'draperies; such-'disclosed meansconstituting', however; `only a"fewtof"the;,many forms in whichtheprinciple A'iof-"tl'ie' invention may be embodied.

In said lannexed-drawings:

Figure 1 is affront elevation 'of fragmentary portion of a windowyframeftcrwhichisgse'cured an improved drapery vrod'r formingpartjoffthe instant invention` -and-'Mfrom' "Whch"dep,ends a pleateddrapery;

Figure 2 is a top plan'OPthe'elementsshown in Figure 1;

Figure Bis a verticalgsection;upon'fan'enlarged scale, taken ine'theplanerindicatedjby*thef'line 3 3, Figure2;

Fig-ure 4 is afragmentaryplan Viewiof asiightly modied' form ofimproved-drapery `--r'odupon which hasbeen'v partially'threaded azdrapery designed -to bedependingly'-supportedfby .the IQ'd Figure 5 isa fragmentary top planiview-upon an enlarged scaleandpartia-llyirrhori-zontalsection, of the inner-end of'-theirod'showneinfiFigure 2;

Figure '7 is aV bottomjplan View;

Figure 8 is a'side elevation,lookingfromthe left endof-Figure 5;

Figure 9 ,is a rear elevationjoithelelements shown in Figure;

Figures 10y Vand ,l 1,y ara' respectively,- a-tonplan View and a frontelevation of a certain adjustablev (Clt-211451052 5.2 '.velement servingas, ,partfof, themeans I.to .maintain .the various pleated portionspfthedrapery in. balance andin' desired alignment;

Figures "12 vand '13 Vare, respectively, a top. .plan 5 and, a' sideelevation "ofa jpvotedv ngenserving i te actuate the Vadjl'istaole,`element. shown in .Fig-

uiesloand '11;

i'Figure' 14. is .an axial "section,taken inmthe planesijindicated bythe' line I I 4.--`I I 4, -Figure 5; 10 `A"Figure'15 is a: fragmentary.horizontal. section, :taken inpthe `vplanes indicated .by the. .lineJ5-1 5, "Figure 8; showingjtherjoint between .the windowframepartof thedrapery rodand thepart'thereof'zover which thedrapery is'jthreaded; 15Figure 16'is a detailofthe windowfframapart of the elements' shown. in'.Figure i151 showing a *shoulder thereon* for .engagement .yvith agat r-portion 'offthe' draperyrengaging Apart;` and ."Figure 31.7 is anexplod`ed`yiew ofthe joint parts Z0-oi the structurershown in'gFiguref.15, .particularly show/ying; the `f engageable shouldenandat.

Referring tot, the annexed drawings.. in which f ,the 'same parts areindicated by the-samerespectivennmbers intheY several Views, aerod3fform- 3 inga ,SupportingV vbracket for the improved v,supp porting andadjustingmeans issecured in .hori- `ontal positionA by spaced holes31....and ,screwsi'32 tothe top "of a window frame Land extendsin-Wteriojrly thereofj anyjdesiredi distance over, the Windowopening. Theportion 4of.the s11 pport ngagnd pleatingmeans which is adjustable, is a'sinuous' formation 4 having. '.alternately. .inwardly and voutwardly,lSdirected ,loops `4,2 entranceio whichis obtained'byjslots jof,substantial vwidth A but imaterally smaller than., the.. width .of `vtheloopsll2 'so '.that each ,part ofitlflesinuous formation 4 simulates intop `plan one-.half of 4anhourglass formation. A 'Igheinteriorlyfextendedend `fof the',l rod 3 is secured to one 4end 'oaninter- 40-- mediate mrelatiyelyeriglfitfangulariv formationlj, 6,Figures` 2A 'and' 5,-'-wl1jose,oppositev end'issecured I'tooneiend-ofthe -sinuousformation 4. Thejotherendof the formationdiis'formedinto a hook 4-memberMg-:Figures 1 and 2.

TIlherelativelyright-angularrfermation 6 and the sinuous- -formation- 4`compriseE the-"fdraping *ev-member, :the .member Bf providingwhat isknown .fin't the. trad/ejes :.theextension, i'. e.,-fthefd=istance:inwardly of the supporting .rodi or bracket 3vr at 5o A Mhichf-therdraped material; depends.

`45:5 6 ofthe draping member are threaded through the passage 22 bypassing the drapery material 2 over the member 4, commencing at thehooked end 41, as illustrated in Figure 4, so that the draperyrmaterial2 encloses the rod part 4 and also the angular part B, as illustrated inFigures 1 and 2. The drapery thus depends from the rod part 4 andformation 6, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and a balanced ornamentalpleating of the drapery 2 can be easily and conveniently effected bysuitably manipulating the drapery portions enclosing the various rodparts 42 and member S. Each supporting structure and the draperydepending therefrom are designed to serve onehalf of a window.

Two adjustments of the supporting structure are particularly desirablein order to obtain and maintain the desired hanging of the draperymaterial, one of these adjustments involving the extent to which theinner end of the rod or bracket part 3 and, hence, the inner edge of thehanging 2 overlaps the Window pane. Such adjustment is effected bysecuring the rod part 3 in such inner adjusted position as desired by afastening thereof ,to the window frame I by means of selected screwholes 31 and screws 32.

VThe second important adjustment involves maintaining the properalignment in a horizontal plane of the several portions of the pleateddrapery enclosing the loops 42. This is a highly important adjustmentinasmuch as the drapery material may be quite heavy and hangs upon apart of the drapery rodl which has a free unsupported end and, hence,may be caused to sag. This adjustment and the connection of thewindowframe part 3 of the rod to the looped part 4 are effected by thefollowing elements:

A plainterminal part at the inner end of the rod 3 isbent into anintermediate eyelet forma tion 1 and the end thereof secured by a rivet'I1 to a side of the channel 3, the eyelet I receiving i a dependingcylindrical end portion 9 of a housing part 8 of the angular formation5, Figures 5, 8, 14, and 15. vFrom a Vertical plane adjacent the eyelet1, the lower part of the housing 8 is of Vbifurcated formation, Figures8 and 15, the

two depending wings 81 of which are secured together at their'free endsby a rivet I1, Figures 5 and 14. This bifurcated formation forms a slotI6 below the solid upper part of the housing 8, which slot I5 has anelongated bottom opening intersecting the bottom face of the housing 8.

Threadedly engaging the wings 81 of the housing 8 at 82 and intersectingthe slot I6 is an upwardly-directed screw I2, Figure 14, having a bottomend nger piece or knob |21, and engaging the upper end |22 of the screwI2 is the tail piece II of a finger I0 which is pivoted, adjacent thescrew I2, upon a rivet 20 passed through the housing wings 81. Theopposite end I3 of the finger I0 is semi-spherical and engages the wallsof a recess I5 formed in one end of a member I4 pivoted on the rivetI'I. The member I4 is an integral angular end portion of the innermostrod loop 42, Figures 5, 10, 11, and 14, and passes through an opening inthe free end of the housing 8. The adjusting end I3 of the finger I0rolls on a curved inner end wall I51 of the recess I5 of the adjustingmember I4, as clearly appears in Figures 11 and 14.. Hence, it isevident, that manipulation of the screw I2 in the lower unobstructedpart of the passage 22, Figure 3, of the drapery 2 will raise or lowerthe pleating and supporting member 4 and provide means for maintainingthe alignment of the several ypleated parts of the drapery 2 as requiredor as is desirable.

The cylindrical end portion 9 of the draping member part 6 is notrotatable in the eyelet 'I since the housing 8 is formed adjacent thecylindrical end portion 9 with a bottom face flat portion I8 which, whenengaging the cylindrical member 9 with the eyelet 1, is dropped on ashoulder member I9 formed on the top of the inner portion of the eyelet1, as particularly shown in Figures 16 and 17.

The structure which has thus far been described provides a pleatingformation, particularly illsutrated in Figures 1 and 2, in which thereis a space 2I between the faces of a pleat at the rear, governed by thewidth of the slots 5 but such showing is only illustrative and otherpleating formations may be selected, if desired, as will now beillustrated by reference to Figure 4.

Figure 4 which illustrates the manner of threading the drapery materialon the supported sinuous and relatively angular parts of the drapingmember to effect the pleated formation also shows a modification inwhich the slots 52 providing openings into the several looped formations53 are relatively narrow so that if a drapery of stiffer material isthreaded on the pleating member 51, the adjacent portions of thematerial of adjacent loops will fill the slots 52 and close them so thatthe pleats will be tubular in cross section. This engagement of theadjacent material portions will not be so rigid as to preventmanipulation thereof into the desired position but will serve to retainthe several pleats of the draped material in adjusted position, afterthe material has once been adjusted.

What I claim is:

l. Means for supporting and adjusting draperies, comprising a supportingbracket and a draping member, the latter having a part providing anextension relatively angular to the supporting bracket and a partsubstantially parallel to the supporting bracket, the draping memberincluding a bifurcated housing mounted on the supporting bracket, theparallel draping member part having a pivotal mounting in the housing,and a member for maintaining said parallel draping'member part insubstantially horizontal position comprising a nger pivotally mountedintermediate its ends in the housing between the bifurcated partsthereof and engaging said parallel draping member part at one end of thenger for movement of the parallel draping member part in a substantiallyvertical plane, and an actuating member engaging the opposite end of thelinger, passed through the opening between the housing parts, and havingscrew-threaded engagement with said housing parts.

2. Means for supporting and adjusting draperies, characterized as inclaim 1, in which the housing has a closed top, open bottom, and opposedspaced side wings, and in which the actuating member intersects the openbottom of the housing and threadedly engages the side wings thereof.

3. Means for supporting and adjusting draperies, characterized as inclaim 1, in which the engaging end of the finger and the portion of theparallel draping member part engaged thereby have means for rollingengagement of the finger end on said draping member part.

4. Means for supporting and adjusting draperies, characterized as inclaim 1, in which the supporting bracket has a looped end portion, inwhich the housing of thedraping member has a peries, comprising asupporting bracket and a draping member non-rotatably mounted on thebracket and having a part substantially relatively right-angular to thesupporting bracket and also a part substantially parallel to thesupporting bracket, the right-angular draping member part having an openbottom bifurcated housing in which the parallel draping member part ispivotally mounted for adjustment in a vertical plane, and means foreffecting the adjustment of the parallel draping member part comprisinga.

manually-operable member intersecting the open bottom of the housing,having screw-threaded engagement with the latter, and having meansengaging the inner end of the adjustable draping member part.

DOUGLASS R. FALKENBER-G.

REFERENCE S CIT ED `The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 631,401 Kuhnel et al Aug. 22,1899 885,334 Fox Apr. 21, 1908 1,030,987 Ellis July 2, 1912 1,056,592Schneider Mar. 18, 1913 1,532,566 Young Apr. 7, 1925 1,956,614Engelhardt May 1, 1934 2,469,098 Allen May 3, 1949 2,534,491 WerschingDec. 19, 1950

